Clay Art Center presents the fourth Annual Functional Fall Exhibition: Handled With Care, guest juried by former Artists-in-Residence Lindsay Scypta and Mike Stumbras. The exhibition features small- to medium-scale handmade ceramic works that revel in surface, decoration, and detail, and includes works by 24 artists at all stages of their careers, representing 14 States.
An Opening Reception will take place Saturday, September 19th, from 5:00-7:00 PM. Enjoy artist talks, light refreshments, and be there for the Juror Prize announcement! Free to the public to attend in Clay Art Center’s Gallery located at 40 Beech Street, Port Chester, NY.
The exhibition will be on view in the gallery and online from September 1st to October 17th. The functional ceramics presented in this exhibition engage audiences with the tactile and visual possibilities of ceramic surface through the use of varied techniques including layering, carving, stamping, slip, glaze, luster, pattern, and more. Small scale invites closeness and embraces the sense of touch, asking the viewer to slow down, to hold, to feel, and to repeatedly return. This exhibition seeks to showcase the ways artists use scale and ornamentation to develop and amplify meaning across a variety of themes from the sheer celebration of ceramics making through materials and processes, to works that explore personal identity, nature, and human relationships.
Participating Artists: Patricia Briggs, Stefanie Burdick, Julie Buyon, Jordan Coons, Sharon Greenwood, Kade Helin-Burnette, Samantha Hostert, Molly Johnson, Yutong Liao, Vasudha Maiya, Aimee Marcinko, Sam McCall, Philip Perry, Gina Pisto, Anna Price, Melodie Reay, Macayla Sandusky, Steve Sitrin, Bethany Slater, Noah Smith, Julia Steiman, Mark Tarabula, Angela Tilley, and Sofia Vidal.
Gallery audiences can also participate in the People’s Choice voting to nominate their favorite piece for a prize. Juror Prize announcement and People’s Choice Voting take place in September and October respectively. Voting in the People’s Choice category gets underway September 14th and will be announced on Instagram (@clayartcenter), and in our newsletter. Voting takes place in person and online. The People’s Choice winner will be announced on October 12th, 2026.